


She Promised

by EvilQueen79



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst, Drama, F/F, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-30
Updated: 2015-08-27
Packaged: 2018-03-26 12:25:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3850888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvilQueen79/pseuds/EvilQueen79
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Regina needs to save the savior.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Regina stormed into her study and started flinging books off the shelf. The unshed tears made it impossible to focus on names or titles. But when she found the right one, she'd know. The anger and panic rose like bile in her throat. "Where is it? Where is it?!" She shouted between clenched teeth.

"Regina, what are you doing?"

She spun around wildly.

Her back straightened. "What are you doing here, Robin?" She spat out.

He stood in the doorway looking at her with a sad, pained expression.

"After…. After everything that happened, I thought maybe you wouldn't want to be alone."

"What gives you the right to think you know what I want? All I want right now is to fix this. I need to fix Emma… I need…"

"Regina… you can't…"

The anger flashed in her eyes.

"You have no idea what I am capable of." She was shouting at him, "Henry needs his mother. This town needs their savior. I need.…. I refuse to give up on her. Ever since the curse broke she has been on my side, has had my back. She has saved me time and time again, from this town, from myself. When everyone else wanted my head on a stake, she protected me. When I started feeling the darkness creep back in, she was the light that brought me back. Even when I pushed and pushed, she never left…." Regina balled her fists up and choked back the sobs. "She promised me my happy ending."

That broke her. The tears were now falling uncontrollably. The sobs shook her violently as she backed against the wall and sunk to the floor, pulling her knees up close. "She fucking promised…" was all she could choke out.

Robin knelt beside her and embraced her. Leaning into his shoulder, she sobbed harder. There was no way to stop this. The tears were coming too fast, too hard. Regina could feel herself breaking from the inside out. If it wasn't for Robin, for Zelena. If it wasn't for the road trip. If they didn't bring Lily here. If Emma wasn't such a damn fool, trying to save everyone, all the time. If Gold hadn't planted that seed of darkness in her head. If the dagger wasn't right there. If I could have gotten there sooner, I could have talked her down. If I could have seen what was coming. If I would have known. If. If if . "You can still have your happy ending." He broke her train of thought and tried to give her a comforting grin. Her head snapped up and the tears stopped all at once.

"NO! No, not until I fix this." With that she was on her feet and back at her bookshelf.

Robin sighed, defeated. "Regina, we don't know if she's even still..."

"DON'T YOU DARE!" She hissed. "So help me, Robin, I will save her if it's the last thing I do." She spun on him, with a frenzied smile on her face. The Evil Queen charged at him, pointing a finger directly in his chest. "If I lose her, this town will WISH for the old evil queen back. Emma sacrificed everything for those idiots. For me. And all they are doing is sending my old flame to babysit me. I will destroy everyth…."

With that Robin shook his head and turned to walk away. He knew she wanted him to be scared, to run in fear, to warn people. To stir everyone up to do something, but what could be done? And maybe he should be more scared than he was, but all he could see was the pain in her eyes. He now understood what Regina saw as the happy ending Emma promised. And it wasn't him. It was never him. Turning around one last time, he reached in his bag, and handed her the one thing left. It was meant for Hook or maybe even Snow, but he saw who it rightfully belonged to.

Regina's face melted from vengeful anger to the deep, sorrowful pain of a girl whose heart had just been ripped from her chest. She took the red leather in her hands carefully, slowly stroking the leather. She closed her eyes and clutched it to her chest, letting the tears stream down the wet tracks. She bowed her head into the coat. God, it smelled like her. Just like her. It was as if she would open her eyes and she'd be standing right there. She could tell her then. Tell her everything. Tell her the only happy ending she ever needed was for her to never leave her again. She promised. Promised, damn it. She wasn't here. She was supposed to be here. Emma promised her a happy ending and she needed to tell her that she already had it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My first stab at a fic. Inspired by some amazing fan art. And like everyone else, I own nothing but all my mistakes and my hope for SwanQueen. Was originally intended as a one shot, but decided, with some encouragement, to make it a multi chapter.


	2. Chapter 2

The sunlight was streaming into the study by the time Regina opened her eyes. Her face felt crusty from the dried tears and her eyes were puffy. There was a zipper indent from the red leather jacket in her cheek.

_So, that really happened._

This wasn’t a nightmare she could be woken from. Emma was gone.

Henry yelled, “MOM!” as he, Snow and Charming came through the front door.

Regina shuffled into the hallway, still clutching the coat. This was the most disheveled Snow had ever seen the other brunette. Her hair was a tangled mess, her makeup was cried off, and her dress was clearly slept in. Tears welled up in Snow’s eyes again when she saw the coat. Regina followed her gaze.

“Robin brought it last night. I… I guess he found it.” She felt awkward holding onto the jacket like a security blanket. Part of her assumed she would be expected to turn it over to Snow, but she just held on tighter. She kept her gaze to the floor. “I tried, last night, I did. I tried to find a way to…” The crazed desperation from last night was gone, leaving Regina deflated and numb.

“We know, Regina. We know you tried. And will continue to try. We believe you can save her. And we will help you in any way we can.”

“Ever the optimist, aren’t you, Charming? I don’t even know if there is anything we _can_ do...”

“Mom, please don’t do this. Emma believed in you when no one else did. Now it’s time you believe in yourself. Please don’t give up on her”

The mention of the blonde’s name brought the blinding panic back. Regina started sobbing, her knees getting weak. Henry threw his arms around her in a tight embrace.

“You’re a hero now, Mom. Be her hero,” he whispered into her ear. Her (Their) perceptive son knew his mothers better than they knew themselves. She quickly nodded and regained her composure. Crying isn’t going to save Emma.

Regina looked up and saw how beaten down the Charmings were. Snow and David had obviously been crying most of the night and had barely slept. Their only daughter, gone again. Once upon a time seeing Snow so devastated would have thrilled her. But now her heart lies in ruins with Snow’s. My, how times have changed. She wiped her eyes and headed towards the kitchen, knowing everyone would follow.

“So what do we know so far?” She quickly busied herself making coffee. Regina has two speeds.   Full throttle or broken. Broken was no longer an option. Her son needs his mother. The idiots need their daughter. She needs her Emma.

“Gold is still out. Emma is gone. And we have this,” Snow help up the dagger that was hidden under her coat.

Regina’s world got deafeningly silent. The bile that threatened to rise last night angrily attacked her throat again. Her vision tunneled to the two words written on the dagger.

_Emma Swan_

“So she’s…. she’s alive.”

“Yeah, at least we think so, but…” Snow’s voice trailed off.

Charming glanced at his wife and finished her thought, “We tried summoning her, Regina.”

“Tried? I don’t understand. If she’s the Dark One and you used her dagger to summon her…she has to come.”

“Yeah, that’s what we thought, too. We were hoping you might know of a loophole or what could be happening, where she could be?”

Regina, not for the first time in the last 24 hours, was at a complete loss.

“I don’t know. I’ve never heard of the dagger not working, unless it was a fake.”

“Well, we know this one isn’t. We all watched it change. After you left, Snow grabbed the dagger and we went back to Granny’s with Hook to try and make sense of what just happened.”

“Hook really wanted to be the one to hold on to the dagger,” Snow added. “We didn’t think it was the best idea. I know how much he cares about her, but he doesn’t understand magic like you do. He got angry and stormed off after we refused to give him the dagger. He yelled about,” Snow sought approval from her husband, who nodded encouragement before she turned back to Regina, “us willing to trust the evil queen over him. Regina, just so you know, we don’t think you are evil anymore. But Hook… I think losing Emma was just too much for him. It’s breaking him.”

“Look around, Snow,” Regina lashed out furiously. “We are _all_ broken. Unfortunately, the rest of us don’t have the luxury of shutting down because we lost someone we love. Allowing ourselves that self-indulgence is not going to save her.”

And there it was. Out in the open. Losing someone we love. But it didn’t come as a surprise. Charming figured it out last night after Regina lost it and ran off. Regina figured it out soon after. Henry and Snow have known for a long time.  

“No, you’re right. But we can’t make him see reason or make him agree to help us. He tends to defer to the two of you when problems arise, anyhow. Remember the Chernobog? He’s not really good with these things.”

“Yeah, well, has he met the love of his life?” Regina growled. “He realizes she’s kind of a magnet for trouble, right?”

“Yeah, she kind of is,” Snow agreed sadly. She realized that everything that happened circled back to Emma wanting Regina’s happiness. It pained her to even inquire, but she had to know where things stood. “What about Robin, do you think he will help?”

Robin. God, she forgot about Robin. He followed her home last night and looked so dejected while she went ballistic over losing Emma. Regina was so quick to judge Hook for breaking down, but she completely unraveled in front of her boyfriend. Ex-boyfriend? Now that Regina was calm though, she knew it was essentially up to her to save Emma. She had to pull it together and keep her wits about her. No more breakdowns. She also knew she and Robin were going to have to have a serious talk.

“No. I don’t think he is going to be much help,” she replied quietly. They probably couldn’t count on him to help save the woman his girlfriend is in love with.

“I should get back to my study and research. I’m afraid my efforts last night were rather…frantic. I need to approach this calmer if I am to be of any benefit to Emma.”

“Regina, we are leaving the dagger with you. Maybe you can figure out why it isn’t working while you are researching.”

Snow set the dagger in Regina’s trembling hand. She regarded it carefully, mesmerized by the name emblazoned on it. She still couldn’t believe it was real. Snow and David said their good-byes, promising to bring some carry-out later.

Henry looked at his mom with bright, hopeful eyes. “Ok, Mom. Let’s save Ma."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote the first chapter prior to the 4b season finale. It didn't QUITE follow the show (but close enough if you squint really hard), so am now writing more or less where 4b left off. This was a rough chapter for me because it was basically a necessary evil. The good stuff is coming. Or at least what I consider the good stuff.... probably going to go M eventually. Fair warning.


	3. Chapter 3

Regina’s eyes were raw from reading all day.  Hours and hours were spent pouring over books to no avail.  Her nerves were shot.   Henry had given in to the exhaustion hours ago, but Regina kept pushing until the words she was reading started to blur.  Finally, deciding to call it a night, she made her way upstairs to her room.  She rubbed her achy legs as she sat down on her bed.  There were still more questions than answers, but one thing was made abundantly clear as she read through her tomes:  The darkness must reside _in_ someone.  So unless someone kills Emma with the dagger (not an option) and becomes the dark one themselves or they unleash this thing into Storybrook again until it latches onto someone else (too risky), there was no way to save Emma.  At least not that she has figured out so far. 

She picked up the dagger that she had laid next to her on the bed.  Henry tried several times to summon his other mother throughout the day.  And each time he sighed heavily when the blonde didn’t appear.  After one unsuccessful attempt, he tried to hand the dagger to Regina and suggested she try it.  Regina shrugged him off saying if didn’t work for him or his grandparents it wouldn’t work for her either.  Truthfully, she didn’t want Henry to see her get upset when it didn’t work for her either because she desperately wanted it to.  And really, why should it?  Their relationship prior to Emma sacrificing herself was a tentative friendship, at best.  Emma had Hook, she had Robin and they were working on co-parenting Henry.  Emma was just righting a wrong by absorbing the dark one to protect Regina.  With the dagger in her hand, she called out to thin air, “I summon thee, Dark One.  I summon Emma Swan.”  Nothing.  _Well, that was anti-climactic_ , but not at all surprising.  Still, Regina couldn’t hide the disappointment, “Oh Emma, where are you?  Please be ok,” she whispered.

Regina stood and walked over to her dresser to pick out some pajamas.  While rifling through her drawer, she felt a warm breath on her neck.  Her eyes shot up to the mirror, but there was no one behind her.  _I better make tomorrow an earlier night_ , she thought.  She grabbed her gray silk pajamas and went to the bathroom to start her nightly ritual.  The overwhelming scent of vanilla filled her nostrils when she walked in.  _It smells just like her._   _Shit, Regina, stop._   Quickly, she changed, washed her face, and brushed her teeth before walking back into her room.  The distinct sound of someone clearing their throat echoed throughout the room.  She spun around to take in her surroundings, but still, no one was there.  “Emma?”  _No, of course not, Regina, get a grip_.  “I must be hallucinating.” 

“Well, that’s definitely one option.  I mean, you’ve barely slept.  The other is that you summoned me and I showed up.”

Her voice was different.  It was still Emma, but her voice was rougher, like she was no stranger to a pack of cigarettes and a shot or three of whiskey.   She stood in the doorway dressed head to toe in black leather, with a hard look in her eyes.  It wasn’t quite anger, but it was definitely not welcoming.  Her long blonde hair was pulled back in a severe bun and her lips were stained red. 

Regina’s mouth opened and closed several times trying to spit something out. _Where have you been?  Why did you do it?  I love you, damn it. You weren’t supposed to sacrifice yourself for me._ She quickly schooled her features.  There is only one way to handle Emma Swan, Dark One or not.

“Well, Miss Swan, it seems you have picked up a flair for the dramatic.  I should be upset, you know black is _MY_ thing, but that jacket looks like you were raiding your boyfriends closet.  Did you guys pick those up on a 2 for 1 special?”

Emma moved closer and a hint of a smile played on her lips.

“Oh Regina.  Are we still playing this game?  Ok, I’ll bite.  Black hasn’t really been your thing since you’ve been on the straight and narrow.  Besides it doesn’t really go with forest greens and browns, does it?” She cocked an eyebrow when Regina broke eye contact at the reference to Robin.  “And don’t you worry your pretty little head about Hook.  I don’t think he’s going to be around much longer.”  Emma sounded bored. 

“Emma, what did you do?”

“Calm down, your majesty.  I haven’t done anything.  I just wouldn’t count on him sticking around.  You see, the Emma he fought for fit in a very specific box.  Feisty, yet heroic.  Always putting others first.  I’m afraid that’s just not me anymore.  I’ve been uncaged.”

“But you love him?”

“Regina, I thought you were paying closer attention.  I told him I loved him after I thought I lost him. Just like Neal.  Do you know why that is?”  She leaned in close like she was telling her a secret, “I only cared that someone was there.  Not necessarily him.” She leaned away, looking around the room, utterly bored again.  “And I just can’t be bothered by the bullshit anymore.  I mean, did you see us at all the last few months?  He followed me like a puppy dog.  I couldn’t understand what he was even doing there half the time.  He was arm candy to keep my parents off my back.  But I’m done being trapped by expectations.  I’m writing my own story now.  That’s the true gift of the Dark One.  Eternal Freedom.”

 “Unless someone is using the dagger…” Regina trailed off and thought for a moment, “…which doesn’t seem to work with you.  How is that possible?  Your parents and Henry tried to summon you.  And why did it work for me?”

Emma’s eyes actually lit up and she turned to face Regina again, “That is the coolest thing about being the Dark One who also happens to be the product of True Love.  I have some _serious_ power.  Much more than your buddy Rumple ever had.  The whole dagger thing only works as a mere suggestion as opposed to a command.”

“Eternal Freedom,” Regina repeated quietly.  Without the power of the dagger, there was no way to control the Dark One.  Emma’s infinite power could not be controlled.   Another thought occurred to her while trying to process THAT bit of information.  “Why me?  Why didn’t you appear for your parents?  Or even Henry?”

“It’s complicated,” was all Emma offered.

Their eyes locked and Emma once again moved towards Regina and started circling her predatorily, “So what can I do for you, your majesty?” Her husky voice sent a shiver up Regina’s spine. It did not go unnoticed.  Emma stopped right behind her and pressed up against her back, fingers digging into Regina’s hips.  Regina was frozen.  Emma’s lips grazed the shell of the brunette’s ear.  “What is it you want with the Dark One?”  Her voice was low and sultry, barely above a whisper.

“I just –“Her voice cracked and she cleared her throat.  “ _We_ have been very worried.  Henry wanted to make sure you were ok and your family promised to save you from the darkness, so we have doing everything-“She was rambling.

Emma retreated and rolled her eyes.  She started pacing the room like a caged animal, but sounded bored again when she cut Regina off.  “Just stop.  I’m fine.  Tell the idiots and Henry that everything is a-ok, but I’m not ready to hang out or go to family functions or anything yet.  We all know there is no fixing this or saving me unless I wind up dead, and I’m pretty sure no one wants that.  We are all just going to have to learn to deal with it.  But enough about me, let’s talk about you.”  Emma spun on her heel and looked Regina dead in the eye with the best impression of her Evil Queen grin Regina has ever seen.

Regina squared her shoulders and put on her best no nonsense mayoral face, “Miss Swan, I…”

Emma put her finger to Regina’s lips to silence her.

“I’ll come back when you are ready to drop the act.” She leaned in and ghosted her lips against Regina’s.  Regina closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss, but felt nothing against her lips.  She opened her eyes and saw she was, once again, alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Totally inspired by all the Dark Swan pics. Hope y'all are cool with a little dark Emma in your life. I only sort of know where this is going. Hope you enjoy the ride. I should have the next update up in a day or 2


	4. Chapter 4

Regina spent most of the night staring at the ceiling. After much internal debate, she felt it best to keep this visit from Emma a secret for now. She really didn’t get any information that would be useful to anyone aside from herself, so why bother? Sure, Henry and the idiots would want to know she was ok, but wasn’t that just sort of assumed since she was the Dark One? Next time, if there was a next time, she would just convince Emma to at least see Henry. Everyone else be damned. No, no, she shouldn’t think like that. Snow and Charming should know that their daughter is ok. And Hook, well, she could deal with Hook on her terms. That was her business.

Now Regina just warred with herself about what to do about this version of Emma. Eternal freedom? Incredible power? And what about that almost kiss? She wanted it all. The darkness, the power, that kiss, Emma. It called to her, the darkness. Even though she had been playing the good girl role for quite some time, it was a part of her. She suspects it always will be. She felt seduced by the raw energy Emma had become. Logically, Regina knew that she should never give in to this Emma. While she knew this wasn’t her Emma, (Did she have an Emma?) this was a part of her, as hard as it was to accept. Right now, she just needed to focus on ridding the darkness from Emma and make sure she didn’t cause too much damage that she couldn’t come back from. All that work to prevent her from going dark these past months, down the drain. No, that’s not entirely true. Killing Lily would have been an act of her own volition. Killing someone or ruining relationships now could essentially be blamed on being the Dark One. The intent may have been there deep down, but the title wasn’t just handed out for no reason. The darkness does make one do things they wouldn’t under normal circumstances.

The alarm blared and an already awake Regina turned it off and rolled out of bed. Bits of pieces of dreams floated by her consciousness suggesting she got at least a little sleep here and there, but Regina is pretty sure she was up most of the night. A shower and coffee were imperative.

Henry watched her as she robotically made breakfast for them. Well, coffee for her, breakfast for him. He was pretty sure she wouldn’t be eating much. Again. “Mom, have you slept at all? You won’t be much help if you don’t take care of yourself.”

“Don’t you worry about me, little prince. I just stayed up too late reading. I will try to get more sleep tonight.”

It wouldn’t do to have him worrying. He already has one mother to be concerned about, she didn’t need to burden him as well. He gave her a hug and kiss goodbye when he was done with his breakfast. He decided today would be spent with Belle helping in his grandfather’s shop and doing some research with her.

While Regina cleaned up after breakfast her thoughts once again found their way to the blonde. More specifically, when she started having feelings for her and what on earth that meant for Robin, her supposed soul mate. The pixie never did give her the full rundown of this soulmate business. How can she have such obvious, strong feelings for someone else when her “soulmate” was right in front of her? A talk with Tink was definitely on the to-do list. First things first, sort out the Emma situation.

“And what of Robin?” Emma appeared before her, as if summoned.

“Emma…I didn’t…what? What are you doing here?”

“I could feel you. I could feel you thinking of me and it pulled me here. I could also feel the conflict, so I can only assume it was your precious Robin you were thinking of. So tell me, your majesty, what does he think of the idea of his soulmate dropping, well, everything, to save the savior?” By now, Emma was standing inches from Regina. Her bright red lips settled in an over enthusiastic pout.

“Don’t mock him, us. He doesn’t… He gave me some space, knowing I have to do this. Rumple is in a coma, I’m the only one…”

“Is that it, Regina?” She stalked around her slowly,green eyes darting between deep brown eyes and red lips.  “Are you doing this out of obligation? Is it to assuage the guilt of me sacrificing myself for you? Maybe you should take the gift I gave you, your happiness, and run away with him.”

“Robin isn’t my happy ending. My happiness is made up of my family, my life here, and yes, even love, but it’s not the only thing driving it.”

“And is he part of your happiness, majesty?” The pale blonde purred in her ear as she now stood behind her.

“He is my soulmate.”

“Way to not answer the question, highness.” Emma clipped and backed away to come around in front of Regina again. She leaned against the kitchen counter and crossed her arms over her chest. “But let’s run with that idea, shall we? Soulmate. What is a soulmate? Is he your true love? Was it maybe a passing thing from, what, 40 years ago?” She shrugged, sardonically.

“Emma, stop.”

“No, no, hear me out. You see this guy with a tattoo, in a bar, but you don’t see his face. You do NOTHING at the time. And now 40 years later, you what? Meet, fall in love?” Her voice was rising. “Why are you blindly following PIXIE DUST from 40 or so years ago? It’s not even your choice, Regina! He was chosen for you. JUST LIKE LEOPOLD! Don’t you see? After all this time and you are still letting someone else decide your fate? And for a man who didn’t even choose you? TWICE!”

The tears spilled out down Regina’s cheeks as she slapped Emma. The blonde grabbed her wrists and pinned her against the counter. Both could feel each other’s hot breath’s against their cheeks. Emma leaned in to whisper in Regina’s ear. “Just remember, I chose you every time. You always came first. Even while I was keeping my bed warm because you broke my heart, you were always first.”

Regina struggled against Emma’s grip, but the Dark One was just too strong. She kept her pinned against the counter and ran her tongue along the shell of her ear. Emma felt the brunette’s breath hitch and smiled predatorily. Her knee was thrust between the Mayor’s thighs and she pressed all of her body weight into her. Emma’s teeth sunk into her neck and Regina tried to stifle a moan. Regina’s body was rebelling against her mind by giving into the seduction. Emma grabbed the lapels of Regina’s blazer and shoved it hard over her shoulders, effectively pinning her arms behind her. She kissed her hard, biting her velvet lips. Regina kissed her back fervently and pressed her center against her knee. Emma’s hand slid down the front of her shirt, digging nails in along the way. Her hand slipped under the top of black dress trousers, grazing tan hips. “Please,” the brunette moaned. The Dark One chuckled deep in her throat and leaned back slightly. “Oh, my queen. We aren’t through here, but I need you to really think about what we discussed.” She leaned in and gave her another hard kiss. Ruby red lips grazed across the mayor’s face, once again landing next to her hear. “Why do you keep choosing him, if he continually chooses others over you, including himself when the darkness threatened you?”

Regina blinked several time to regain her composure. Her clothes were, once again, on her petite frame, flawlessly. Not a hair or stitch of make-up was out of place. She stood alone in her kitchen. The blonde’s words swam in her head like moths buzzing around a light. Emma was trying to get a rise out of her, to get under her skin. Despite the cruel way the message was delivered, it didn’t make it any less true.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I went ahead an upped the rating to M on this. Not sure if this chapter necessarily needs it, but it will soon. I know these chapters are pretty short. That may change in the future. I own nothing, but my mistakes. Thanks for the support on this story.


	5. Chapter 5

Days passed with no sign of Emma. Regina spent most of her time analyzing their brief conversations. (And trying really hard, while mostly failing, to NOT think about their other activities.) The blonde’s assessment of her situation with Robin was dead on. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more she knew deep down inside she had been feeling that way for a while. It was the easiest explanation for why she ran home and focused on Emma instead of running into her “happy ending’s” arms. The part that troubled Regina was Emma talking about her eternal freedom as the Dark One. The more she thought about it, the worse she felt about trying to take that away from her. Was she happier like this? It’s not that she necessarily seemed happy but maybe less…what? Burdended? And maybe she wasn’t the old Emma, but she was still Emma. Dark One or not, Regina was still in love with her. She had so many questions, but the blonde was choosing to stay away for now, no matter how many times she was summoned. Regina was barely surviving on coffee and random, quick naps at this point. If Emma decided to drop in, she wanted to be awake to see her. The make-up was no longer doing its job covering the dark circles under her eyes. Her power suits hung a little looser on her body. Henry begged his grandmother to intervene.

 

Snow knocked on the black door at 108 Mifflin

 

“Snow.”

 

“Regina, hi. Let me buy you lunch.” She offered with a smile.

 

“Snow, I really don’t have time to…”

 

“Please. It’s been days. Please just come and sit and talk with me.”

 

“Fine. You have one hour.”

 

They sat across from each other at Granny’s. The woman once hunted by the evil queen sitting across from her, shifted uncomfortably in her seat, not out of fear of the other woman, but worry for her. Ruby came to take their orders.

 

“I’ll have a chicken wrap and fries. Thanks, Rubes.”

 

“Regina?”

 

“Just coffee. Thank you, Miss… Ruby.”

 

“Regina, why don’t you order some food.” It was a statement, not a question.

 

“I’m not hungry, Snow.”

 

“Listen, I know you haven’t been eating or sleeping. Henry is worried. I’m worried.”

 

Regina chuckled without looking up at her former nemesis. “Well, well. Isn’t this quite the turn of events? My former step daughter is trying to mother me. Save it, Snow. I’m fine. At least I will be when I figure out how to get Emma to come back.”

 

“Regina, maybe we are all putting too much pressure on you. This isn’t solely your responsibility. Belle has been working around the clock to help, too. And you know most days Henry is with one of you. You need to be at your best if you are going to save her-“

 

“I think that’s part of the problem, Snow. I think we are going about this all wrong. Maybe she doesn’t need to be saved.”

 

“What are you talking about? Of course she needs to be saved. Emma is good. We just need to rid her of the darkness.”

 

“What if she likes the darkness?” With her eyes completely unfocused on a spot on the table and the dark circles under them, Regina almost looked like a zombie.

 

Snow nervously, tapped the other brunette’s arm to snap her out of her daze, “Regina. Stop. Our Emma would want to be saved from the darkness.”

Regina’s eyes shot up and locked with Snow’s. A small smile maniacally spread across her lips, “I’m not entirely sure you know your daughter as well as you think you do.”

 

“That’s it. Regina, stop. Eat something, go home and sleep. We will handle the Emma situation from here. Maybe Hook can-“

 

“SHE IS NOT A GOD DAMN SITUATION TO BE HANDLED.” The diner went silent. “And leave Hook out of it. She doesn’t want his help…” Snow’s eyebrows shot up right before they furrowed into an accusing stare. _Shit. Shit. Shit._

“Have you…. Have you talked to her?”

 

“I….We spoke briefly.”

 

“And you didn’t say anything?! To me? Does Henry know?”

 

“NO! No. She came to me a few nights ago and we…. We talked. Look, I didn’t get much information from her other than the dagger doesn’t work on her. Apparently, being the product of YOUR true love combined with the powers of the Dark One, give her extraordinary power.”

 

“Then where is she?”

 

“Snow, I don’t know. I haven’t seen her in days. I don’t…I don’t know how to get her back.” Just then the dam broke again. Head bowed, tears fell freely as her shoulders shook. The crippling exhaustion mixed with utter helplessness washed over her like a wave of despair.

 

“I can’t do it, Snow. I don’t know what to do. I know everyone was looking to me for the answers, but I’m not even sure we are asking the right questions anymore. And the brief encounter we had left more than it answered.”

 

When her red-rimmed eyes met those across from her, she saw the one thing she never expected from Snow. Pity.

 

“Regina, go home. Sleep.” Was that anger in her voice? No, doubt. Snow didn’t believe her.

 

“You don’t…..You don’t think I’ve seen her?”

 

“I just think…Regina, listen, you haven’t eaten or slept in days. I just don’t think if Emma were to show herself-“

 

“What, Snow? She wouldn’t come to me? I’m not good enough for your precious princess?”

 

“No, it’s not that at all. But why not Henry? I can’t see her not wanting to see him if were possible. Or why not Hook? She’s in love with him, she told him right before she…” Snow had to stop and catch her composure. She lowered her gaze to the table, “And I would hope she would want to see me, if she could. She must know how worried I would be.” It came out barely above a whisper.

 

“MOM! GRANDMA!!!!” Henry came barreling into the diner, with Belle on his heels.

 

“I think we found someone who can find ma and save her from the darkness!”

 

Both women’s eyes were frantically searching his and Belle’s for more of an explanation.

 

“Who?”

 

“How?”

 

They both exclaimed at once.

 

Belle smiled, “Merlin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this is totally unedited. I will try and fix it up tomorrow, just really wanted to get this out there. Sorry about lack of Emma in this chapter. Totally making up for it next chapter.


	6. Chapter 6

Regina threw her keys in the glass bowl on the table right inside the door.  After slipping off her heels, she went to her study and poured herself a drink.  _Could lack of sleep produce hallucinations this strong?  No._   _I don’t think so anyway._   Snow’s words danced with the insecurity that plagued her mind. _We had conversations.  We…we touched…She held me, kissed me.  How could none of it have been real?_   But why wouldn’t she visit Henry?  Snow and Charming she could sort of understand. _And Hook, damn.  If none of those conversations were real, that means she still loves Hook._   The liquor burned going down in a straight shot, but she poured herself another anyway.  HE was a topic for another time.  It was just too unpleasant to even attempt to wrap her head around right now.  Refocusing and finishing her drink, she poured a third and lay down on the couch.  _This is ridiculous_.  Snow is just upset because her darling daughter didn’t go running straight away to Mommy and Daddy.  Regina knew damn well that Emma’s visits were not a hallucination.  The one thing that kept needling the back of her mind was Emma not going to Henry.  That woman fought tooth and nail for that kid.  There was nothing she wouldn’t do for him, including moving the moon with her then enemy.   Something wasn’t adding up.  The whiskey swirled in her glass as she contemplated her sanity.  _Maybe I do just need some sleep_. 

 

“So, how’s Snow?  I have to say, you two lunching together, on purpose, is a little crazy, right?”

 

Whiskey sloshed over the rim of her glass onto the floor as Regina jumped to her feet.

 

“Emma.”  Brown eyes searched green longingly for proof that she was really there.  She desperately scanned over her body, looking for any chink in the armor her sub-conscious may have left. _Please be real.  Please be here_. “You came back.”

 

“Well, of course, your majesty. We still have quite a bit to discuss.” The blonde smirked and leaned against the solid oak desk.

 

Regina snapped out of her daze, “I have a question.” The blonde just raised an eyebrow, “Why me? I mean, why only me?”

 

“I told you, it’s complicated.  I will see everyone else when I can.  For now this is best.”

 

“But Henry…He misses you.”

 

“I miss him, too. But right now he doesn’t understand like you do. I need time to get some things sorted out”

 

“They think they found a way to save you.”

 

Emma rolled her eyes. “Good for them.”

 

“It’s not what you want is it?” She slowly made her way towards the Dark One.

 

“That’s complicated as well. Let me ask you this, Regina. When you were full tilt Evil Queen, did you want to be rescued? Did you want to be saved?”

 

The former queen tilted her head in thought for a moment. “Miss Swan, this is a completely different situation. I was hell bent on revenge. Anything short of the death and destruction of my sworn enemies would mean utter failure and disappointment.”

 

“So you cast the curse. It was supposed to bring you happiness, but it didn’t bring death or destruction to your enemies. It just made their lives slightly more disappointing than yours.”

 

“That may be true, but being ‘saved’ would have left me empty, there was nothing to fill the void of vengeance.”

 

“You could have fallen in love again.”

 

“I believed Daniel was my true love. There was no one else. I had no other path. But Emma, you have everything. A family that loves you. A town that needs you. A pirate that-”

 

“Being a bad guy is the only freedom I have since I came to this god forsaken town – no offense. Their expectations of being their savior have kept me trapped to always do, not what I want, but what is expected of me. It’s not that I love being dark necessarily, but at least this way, I have some freedom.” She looked down and chuckled, “Sort of.

“But you didn’t have it even then. You’ve been trapped in someone’s cage your whole life. Your mother’s grooming to be Rumpelstiltskin’s monster. In a loveless, forced marriage. In a curse you didn’t design. With a soulmate you didn’t choose.” Emma closed the distance between them and raked her gaze over the mayor’s body. “What would it take, Regina? What would set you free?”

 

A lifetime of being someone else’s puppet flashed before her eyes. Even at her worst, she was still a pawn. _Absolute freedom?_ Emma’s words were so tempting. _What **would** it take? _She could feel Emma’s warm breath on her cheek. _Set me free._

 

Regina crashed her lips against Emma’s and pulled her close by her hips. The kiss was immediately reciprocated and deepened. A steady hunger thrummed between them. Emma’s hands ran over Regina’s body and tugged her shirt off. She backed the mayor up to the couch, sat her down and straddled her. The blonde’s hips rolled into the petite frame below her and Regina moaned in appreciation. “Emma, please.”

 

Head bent to the side to give the blonde access to her neck, Regina thrust her hips up to find some friction.

 

“Please what, Regina?” Emma pulled back and gazed into Regina’s eyes. Aside from her pulse ringing in her ears, time stood still. Was this finally the freedom from expectations she craved or the darkness reclaiming her? Was she opening the cage or doubling the lock?

 

“Please….please….take me, Emma.”

 

Emma pounced.   Clothes flew off and skin slid hot against slick skin. Mouths explored necks, shoulders, lips, nipples - biting, tasting, licking, savoring. One hand grasped dark brown locks while the other caressed down her tan, toned body. Her fingers quickly found their way to Regina’s slick folds.

“Mmmmmmm, your majesty,” she purred, “You are so wet.”

“You did that to me. It’s for you-ughn!!” Two fingers slammed into her. Emma used her body weight to fuck Regina hard. “OOhhhhh, Emmmm-ma….you….ughn….feel….so…..”

Emma twisted her fingers and pressed her thumb hard against Regina’s clit.

“FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK”

Emma kept her fingers inside, letting Regina ride out the last waves of her orgasm.

“I’m not done with you, yet, majesty.” She slid down her body, kissing and nipping all the way. On her knees, in front of the former queen, Emma kissed the inside of each thigh and looked up to see hooded dark eyes watching her. Not breaking eye contact, she ran her tongue through her wetness.

“MMMMmmmmm, I love the way you taste.” Emma’s tongue teased her entrance and worked Regina back up into a frenzy. Watching the blonde the whole time, she’d buck then tense, trying to keep some semblance of control. “Give in to it. Just let go.” Emma wrapped her lips around her clit and sucked hard, while pushing three fingers in this time. Regina’s head snapped back as she arched completely off the couch. “FUUUUUUUUCK…EMM-MA….EMMMM-MMMMAAAAAAAAA.”

 

Regina fell back onto the couch and pulled the blonde on top of her. “That……that….was….” She panted out between breaths while coming down.

 

“Shhhhhh, just sleep now, Regina.”


	7. Chapter 7

Just being in the same room with these people made her feel trapped again. Caged. Regina paced, arms crossed, eyes darting between Snow and Charming. They had no idea how badly this was affecting her. How could they? They didn’t know her, not really. Not like Emma did. And they didn’t really understand Emma, or what she was going through. They didn’t understand the darkness, how it felt, how it tasted. The way it slipped through your pores and intoxicated your soul. They didn’t understand living a life dictated by a label unfairly thrust upon you. Regina knew all too well the freedom Emma’s darkness currently afforded her. She was starting to resent the idiots for trying to trap her again into being their "savior". But she also knew Henry needed his other mother, so she was torn. If she were being completely honest with herself, keeping things as they were meant keeping Emma to herself. Their time spent together had given her insight to herself while finally being able to give in to her feelings about Emma. As soon as they brought her back and freed her from the darkness, she would be sharing her with everyone else again. And she supposed things would have to go back to the way they were. Emma would go back to the pirate and she would go back to…no. That was over. Her conversations with Emma made that clear. She was breaking free of as many entrapments as she could. One of which being her pre-destined relationship.

 

She pretended not to notice the others observing her warily. The late nights may have been physically affecting her more than she cared to admit. Her clothes hung a little looser and it took a little extra make-up to hide the dark circles. Maybe they weren’t as hidden has she hoped, judging by Belle’s concerned eye.

“Can we just get on with it please?” Regina huffed.

They stood in Rumple’s shop, waiting for Belle to fill them in. Belle glanced nervously at Snow, who nodded slightly, before speaking, “We were going to wait for Hook, but I have information on Emma that can’t wait. As you may know, I contacted Merlin and he said he can extract the darkness from Emma and trap it for good. It should only take him a day or two to get here. He will just need the dagger once he is here.”

“Ok, so what do we do in the mean time?” Regina was fidgety.

“There’s more, Regina.” Belle again looked at Snow hesitantly. She spoke the next words like they had thorns, “Rumple cursed the dagger to trap his successor. Not one who would go quietly when someone did finally overthrow him as dark one, he built in, a contingency plan of sorts. He built a magic-binding cell to trap whoever used the dagger to become the dark one after him.”

“But Emma didn’t use the dagger on him.”

“No, but she did use the dagger to pull the darkness from you,” Snow continued for Belle, looking at Regina sheepishly. “We believe the reason no one has seen Emma is because she is trapped in Rumple’s cage.”

Regina froze. It can’t be. It’s just not possible. Emma talked with her, kissed her, made love to her.

“Regina, I know you think you-“

“NO! No. It’s- It’s fine. Just tell me what you need from me. How can I help?”

“Well, we have reason to believe the cage is hidden here in the shop somewhere. We thought maybe you could find her.”

“Of…Of course. Let me just…” Regina turned her back on everyone and placed both palms on the glass counter. _Breathe. Just. Breathe. In. Out. In. Out. It wasn’t her. It wasn’t her_. She shouldn’t be surprised. Not really. Living off coffee and a couple odd hours of sleep combined with heightened emotions from loss of a loved one ( _loved? If it all wasn’t real, they weren’t…gods, I’m going to be sick)_ can lead to psychotic breaks, right? Regina was clearly having one and just needed to figure out how to get control of herself again. Right now none of it mattered, she told herself. They needed her to find Emma.

Regina turned back around and spread her arms wide. Closing her eyes, she summoned her magic and felt for Emma’s magic. “If the cage really does have a magic barrier this is going to be quite difficult, if not impossible.” She offers upapologetically after a few minutes.

“Regina, if there is anyone who can find her, it’s you,” Charming looks into her eyes and she knows he knows. Even if it wasn’t real, he knows her feelings for her are. She’s going to have to remember to be nicer to this idiot.

The room goes silent as Regina tries again. A collective breath is held and eyes don’t move off Regina.

She is concentrating, hard, fighting for any sign of Emma. Digging down, she searches for a trace of her magic. _Come on._ _Where are you?_  Fatigue is setting in as she fights for any bit of strength she has left. She isn’t physically strong enough for this right now. Her body has been terribly neglected and there is no fight left in her. Just as she is about to collapse, two boards behind the register start vibrating at first and then shaking. “Come on, Regina, just hang on a little longer,” Charming yells as he runs to break the boards. Regina can just barely feel Emma now below the floor and zaps her last bit of energy to open the cage as she crashes to the floor. Charming jumps in the hole and lands on top of a very small wrought iron cage. Thanks to Regina, the door is already open, so he can reach in and retrieve his daughter.

Hook rushes into the shop just in time to help pull Emma and Charming from the hole in the floor. He lifts Emma into his arms, “Right, I’m taking her to the hospital.” Striding past, he doesn’t give Regina a second glance. Regina looks into his arms and sees a weak, disheveled blonde curled up into him. Her hair is tangled and knotted falling over her shoulders. Pale skin, hollow cheekbones, and sunken eyes leave her looking weak and listless. That’s not her. That’s not the Emma that has been coming to see her.

Snow kneels next to a clearly broken Regina and takes her hand, “Thank you, Regina. Thank you,” she manages to squeak out through the tears. Regina closes her eyes as silent tears fall. _I’m just exhausted_ , she tells herself. The viney tendrils of heartache slink through her soul and warp around her heart. The heavy, smoky pain is suffocating. It wasn’t real. None of it was real. The last thing she is aware of before losing consciousness is Charming picking her up saying she needs a hospital, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It feels like a short chapter, but it seemed like a good place to break. There are 2-3 chapters left on this one (my first, yay!) Hopefully, I can get the updates in soon.


	8. Chapter 8

_The lights are hazy and colors are swirling. Regina is floating with nothing but her mirror from her castle in the enchanted forest in front of her. “Mirror, mirror…” No wait, that’s not right. That’s from that insipid Disney movie. Clearing her throat, she tries again. “Where am I?” It comes out so regal. So Evil Queen. Emma, her Dark Emma, appears before her in the mirror. “Just a dream, your majesty.” Regina takes a few beats to just look at her. Her hair is pulled back in the sharp bun once again, her eyes are focused and strong. “Y-You…. So it’s true? It was all just a dream? A hallucination??!”_

_“Patience.”_

_Regina scowled, ready to fire ball this damn mirror. “I’m about out of patience. You were…We were… I thought it was real. I thought it was all real!”_

_“What wasn’t real about it? You realized you were done living in the cages other people built for you. You realized Robin was just another cage and therefore not the right one for you. You allowed yourself to feel something that wasn’t dictated to you.” Emma smiled predatorily, “You even eased a little…” she smirked and quirked an eyebrow, “tension.”_

_“But It didn’t happen!! I thought we were...”_

_“Again, patience…”_

_And just like that she was gone. Regina shouted and threw a fireball at the mirror, which exploded into a million pieces that just hung in the air._

One eye eased open to see Charming next to her bed. Her hospital bed. She was vaguely aware of cords and tubes attached to her.

“David,” was all she managed to croak out.

“Hey there, Regina, how are you feeling?”

“Like I got hit by a bus.”

“From what I understand about the amount of magic you used, you did.”

“How’s-“

“She’s going to be fine. She is still sleeping a lot, but she is pretty lucid when she is awake.”

Regina closed her eyes. _She’s ok, she’s ok, she’s ok._ It’s all that really mattered. It may take Regina a while to get over the bond she thought they were building, but as long as Emma was ok and happy, she would find a way to be, too.

Charming nudged her and smiled, “She wants to see you, when you are up for it.”

Oh, that classic, stupid Charming smile.

Regina rolled her eyes the best she could to hide her blush.

“Listen, Regina, Snow told me everything. Yes I know, you are shocked, but she was worried about you. For the record, I don’t think you are crazy. I may never know what really happened these past few days, but I do believe you and Emma have a strong connection. Aside from the obvious strong magical connection, I see a strong bond between you two. I’ve been watching it grow for a long time. It’s not fate or destiny. This isn’t something determined by pixie dust. Nor is it a prize to be won or a bargaining chip. I see a strong bond that the two of you organically formed over time. I’ve seen her fight for your happiness and have your back when no one else would. I’ve seen you protect her and always keep her best interests first. You went from wanting to run her out of town to keep her away from Henry to being a fair and gracious co-parent with her. The both of you have been making the right decisions for your family out of love and respect for each other.

“I don’t know what happens next. I know my daughter is too old and too independent to care about my vote, but I am Team Regina.”

Again, with the goofy lopsided Charming grin. So that's where Emma gets it from.

Regina couldn’t speak. Squeezing his hand, she just let the tears fall.

That’s what this has all been about. Emma, the dream, everything. She just needed to figure it out on her own. By giving into Emma she wasn’t giving into the darkness, but herself. She was finally acknowledging what she wanted. No longer was she trapped by Rumple, her mother, being the Evil Queen, the curse, the town, or pixie dust. She was cutting all the strings. All of her cages were finally broken. But so was her heart.

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx

 

Both Regina and Emma were released from the hospital the next day. Merlin was due in late that night, so everyone gathered at Snow and David’s. Regina volunteered to host, but Snow wouldn’t hear of it. They were celebrating not only Emma’s return and (hopefully) soon-to-be freedom from the darkness, but also Regina for finding her and saving her, again. Charming handed out the wine, while Snow finished cooking. Belle and Henry were engrossed in a deep conversation on the couch about Neil Gaiman.  Apparently Henry was appalled that she favored Neverwhere over American Gods.  He was busy explaining why she was wrong. Hook was trying to make a joke about who owed who the next sacrifice between Regina and Emma, but he suddenly looked alarmingly uncomfortable when he actually started to tally in his head. He possessively tightened his arm around Emma. Regina glanced up at Emma to make sure she was ok, before shooting a glare at Captain Stainless Silver. Emma extracted herself from his grip. “Killian, just…not now, ok?”

“Calm down, lass. That’s just the darkness talking. You will be good as new in no time, just as soon as Merlin gets here.” He threw his arm around her again, giving Regina a pointed look.

“No, really, Killian, it’s me. Just lay off.” A light bulb burst as she threw his arm off again.

Conversations stilled and all eyes were on Emma.

“Look, Swan, maybe you should just lie down until Merlin gets here.”

“Killain, listen to me. I am not your fucking property just because you traded me for a ship. Me not wanting to be pawed at right now is not the darkness talking, it’s just me. And honestly right now, I don’t know if there is a difference,” she looked apologetically at Snow and David, “or if I want there to be.”

Regina’s eyes narrowed as she studied Emma carefully.

“Listen, all of you. No matter what happens when Merlin gets here, I don’t…” she paused and bit her lip, “I don’t know what is going to happen, but I don’t want to you to have some crazy expectations of me. You know I struggled with darkness before. And truthfully, I don’t think it’s really had time to take over. I’ve had moments," her eyes briefly flashed to Regina, but were away again before anyone could register it, “but truthfully, I’ve found a lot of peace in the past few days. Killian, we don’t belong together. I’m more than just a reward for being valiant. I’m so happy you turned your life around to good, but I hope you did that for you and not just me. I know you think I’m your happy ending, but I’m really not looking for one. If it happens, great, but I don’t want a predetermined ending when I finally feel like my life is starting. Also, I’m not the person you think you fell in love with. Dark one or not, there is darkness within me,” she raised her voice to talk over Snow interrupting, “and I’m ok with that. No one is all good or all bad and I have accepted the dark parts. I won’t let it rule my life and become some super villain, but I also don’t want the label of ‘good’ or the title of ‘savior’ to run my life anymore either. I’m so sick of feeling trapped, of being caged.” Emma turned to fully face Regina. Green eyes locked on brown and pink lips curled just enough for Regina to notice, “I just want my freedom”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What?! Double update?? I felt bad, some people seemed confused (you were supposed to be, I think) but the story isn't over yet!! Also, the Charming speech wasn't originally planned, but Charming and Regina are my BrOTP, so it worked itself in.


	9. Chapter 9

“So it was you…” Regina’s eyes were wide in astonishment.  Hurt and betrayal washed over her like a tidal wave.  Deep down though, she felt a glimmer of hope shine through.  It was all real. She wasn’t sure if she should laugh or cry.

“Yes, but Regina, please let me explain-“   
“Explain what?”  She nearly shrieked.  Naturally, the anger would come first, it’s what she knew.  “How you let me believe I was crazy?  How I thought I was going literally insane?  How you broke my… I spent days worrying and wondering what was happening to you.  I couldn’t eat.  I barely slept.  Our visits, our talks kept me going, but no one else wanted to believe that you were only seeing me, of all people.  Then seeing you trapped in that cage, broken, and coming to realize that everything we shared was a god damned hallucination with NOTHING from you to tell me otherwise fucking broke me, Emma.  So, no, I don’t think I can listen to you explain,” Regina turned and stormed towards the door,   
Snow cut in “But how?  Emma, you were magically trapped in that cage.”   
Emma waved Snow off and poofed herself in front of Regina.   
“Regina, PLEASE!” Emma’s eyes were wide and glossy as she pleaded with the brunette.   
“I never meant to hurt you.  I just really needed you to look inside yourself and find these answers and believe in everything we had talked about.  Just like I did. I needed to know it was real.   And I really was trapped in that cage, but just like the dagger, there are certain perks of being the product of true love, so it only sort of worked.  I could leave, briefly, but it drained me.  I came to you because I needed you to see and needed you to understand that your happiness could only come from you after you broke through all the damn walls.”    
Regina paused.  “You were still trying to save me, even after you sacrificed yourself for me.”   
“I didn’t see it that way.  I saw myself finally fighting for my own happiness.  I thought maybe if you could see that you didn’t need pixie dust or an author to define your happy ending, maybe you would give us a shot, at well, something.  A happy beginning?”   
Brown eyes met green, “But how do I know it’s not just the darkness talking?  I was once told the darkness was drawn to me.  Emma, don’t you see?  This is still not you.  The darkness wants me, just like it did out in the street, and just like it did 30 years ago.”   
“Well, there’s one way to find out,” Charming interrupted.   
They all turned towards the door to see a tall, lanky man with a long white beard and a Hawaiian shirt on.  He wore khaki board shorts and flip flops.    
“That’s Merlin?” Henry asked incredulously.  “He looks like Dumbledore on holiday.”   
Merlin raised his sunglasses to grimace at the teenager, “Dumbledore is fictional, and you interrupted my holiday, but otherwise, close enough.”   
Snow rushed towards him with dagger in hand, “So can you do it?  Can you save Emma?”   
He held up a rock about the size of a basketball.  “I can do it.  I can extract the darkness with the dagger and trap it in here,” he said patting the rock.  “This will forever bring an end to the dark one, unless someone with a dark enough heart can pry the dagger out of the stone.”   
Henry chimed in, “So like Excalibur, but evil.”   
“Something like that, kid.  We must put heavy magical protections on the rock to ensure that never happens.”   
Snow shoved the dagger into his hands.  “What are you waiting for, do it.”   
Regina stepped in between Emma and Merlin, “Wait!”   
“Regina, what are you doing?  MOVE!” Snow yelled.   
“She’s afraid her girlfriend won’t want her anymore if she’s not dark at heart, like she is.  It only makes sense that Swan will come crawling back to me when she is back to herself, so get on with it,”  Hook finished with a bored roll of his eyes.    
Regina turned to Emma, “Is this what YOU want?  Regardless of what happens with us, I want you to do this for you.  Not for Snow.  Not for Hook. Not even for me. You told me how free you feel as the Dark One and I don’t want anyone taking that away from you.  If it’s anyone’s decision it’s yours and yours alone.”   
Emma squeezed both of Regina’s hands.  “I need to do this.  For me.  I said no more cages, and that includes being the Dark One.”   
Regina stepped aside and watched her approach Merlin.  Logically, she knew this was the end.  It was the darkness in Emma that sought Regina out.  Once the darkness was gone, she would fall back into the arms of her pirate and Regina would have to get over it.  She breathed a little easier knowing that she would be ok.  It would hurt, but she had come a long way in the past few days.  She was responsible for her happiness.  If she didn’t find it in herself first, it wasn’t real to begin with.    
Merlin held the dagger high and started chanting.  Dark swirls started pulling out of Emma and swirling high above around the dagger.  Once the last wisps were out, Merlin stabbed the rock, effectively trapping the darkness.      
“This will do for now.  Regina, I may require some assistance later for securing a final resting place for the darkness.”   
Regina tore her eyes away from Emma’s back long enough to nod an acknowledgment.   
Everyone else continued to stare at Emma.   
She stood frozen, head back, with a dazed look.   
“Ma?”   
Henry’s voice shook her out of it.  She turned to look around the room at everyone staring at her. Brown and green eyes locked for a brief moment before Emma’s attention was snapped by the shouts of victory.  Snow rushed to her daughter, stepping in front of Regina, and cupped her cheeks, looking into her green eyes, as if searching for any remaining darkness.  Hook made a beeline for her, picked her up and swung her around.  “SWAN!  You’re back!”  

Regina watched as they gathered around her, cheering and hugging her.  She had seen enough.  The darkness was gone.  Emma had her family back, including the pirate.  Maybe the visits with Emma weren’t hallucinations, but whatever she thought was happening between them clearly was.  She smiled to herself knowing that they had beat this thing once and for all and saved Emma.  That was the important part.  Maybe romance with Emma wasn’t part of her happy ending, but knowing her son’s other mother was free of all her cages and could finally be happy was.  She turned and quietly headed for the door.

Fingers wrap around her wrist and pull her back to stop her.

“Wait.”

Regina turns to see a frantic Emma smiling at her.

“Don’t go. Please.  It wasn’t the darkness.  I meant everything I said.  The darkness may have given me the freedom to tell you and show you how I feel, but I’ve felt that way for a long time.  I was too concerned with playing the part I thought I was supposed to play to let myself give in to what I was feeling.  I was trapped by expectations of being the savior, daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, a fucking princess for gods sakes.  I thought I had to live my life a certain way, to make everyone else happy.  But I don’t give a flying fuck anymore.  No more cages.  I’m just Emma, in love with Regina.  Regina, who needed to see that destiny, fate, pixie dust, and books do not control her happiness.  It’s just you.  You have to make yourself happy.  I need to make myself happy.  And I think, no, I know we can do that together.  I want that with you.”   
Regina just stared at her, eyes full of unshed tears.

Emma pulled the brunette close and wrapped one arm around her waist, the other hand finding the back of her neck.  She leaned in close, their foreheads almost touching.

“I made you a promise.  I promised to help you find your happy ending.  And I intend to keep it.”

A choked sob bubbled out of Regina’s mouth and she smiled.  The tears now spilling freely.

“Promise?”

Emma leaned in and captured her lips. 

** “I promise.”  
**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoooo, I finished my first fic!! Overall, I don’t know how happy I am with it, but it was only supposed to be a one shot, so I’m cutting myself some slack. It ended up being a good exercise to start the creative process again. I haven’t written in so long. I forgot how good for the soul it was. Thanks to everyone who stuck with it!


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